May 7th.

Tuanzi followed Zhou Li to Old Master Ma's courtyard.

On the way there, she initially walked on her own, never getting lost or running away—a trait superior to most cats, earning the envy of passersby. But she kept flirting with flowers and butterflies, and even worse, seducing young ladies.

Those young ladies were no match for this mischievous cat!

After Zhou Li had firmly rejected two young ladies' friend requests on Tuanzi's behalf, he couldn't bear it any longer and picked her up.

"It's a very old house," she said, examining the old buildings that formed a courtyard, her eyes sparkling. "A long, long time ago, Lord Dumpling also lived in this kind of house, though it wasn't this tall."

"A siheyuan?"

"Four courtyards, yes, yes, yes!" Tuanzi's speech was muddled, but she nodded vigorously.

"Come down."

Zhou Li set her down and told her, "You can play anywhere in this courtyard. You can come watch me do wood carving, and play with me and Grandpa Ma. Right across is Brother Nan's house; you can also go play with her."

"Cut wood!"

"Right, cut wood."

"Brother Nan!"

"Hmm? You actually said it right!"

"HEHE~~"

Tuanzi began running around the courtyard.

Zhou Li resumed his wood carving learning (and playing) for the day.

He showed Xiao Yuan's statue to Old Master Ma, who praised his work after a close look. "The details are very good; it already has some character even before being finished. Not bad. It's hard to capture that in these animated characters."

Zhou Li replied nonchalantly, "Maybe it's because the animated characters on TV lack character too."

Old Master Ma laughed heartily.

Soon, Tuanzi came running back in a panic, calling for help and protection. Zhou Li focused his gaze and saw a robust and imposing Big Orange chasing her.

"Pumpkin!" Zhou Li called out.

"?" Pumpkin stopped and looked at Zhou Li, tilting his head.

This Big Orange was quite intelligent; he not only knew his own name and recognized Zhou Li but was even aware that Zhou Li was his owner's cat.

Zhou Li advised, "You can't bully Lord Dumpling. You have to get along with her well. Otherwise, with just one command from Lord Dumpling, a hundred thousand soldiers might wipe you out overnight..."

"If it understands that, I'll be damned! You think it's a Demon or something?" Brother Nan's voice popped up, and then she looked at Tuanzi.

"Come here, Tuanzi. I guarantee that in ten minutes, this dumb cat won't dare bully you again," Brother Nan said. "For each time it bullies you, I'll beat it once!"

"If it bullies Lord Dumpling again, Lord Dumpling will turn into little cat kibble!" Tuanzi declared with newfound confidence, even issuing a threat. However, it took her a while to come up with the next line. "Make it bully thin air!"

"..."

Brother Nan picked Tuanzi up by the scruff of her neck.

Accustomed to a life of luxury, Tuanzi didn't feel offended. In fact, she allowed Brother Nan to handle her, her four paws dangling naturally and her tail curled up to protect her modesty.

Brother Nan turned to Zhou Li and Old Master Ma, asking, "Did your class group mention it? The teacher sent a notice that from the first of next month, those who want to return to school can do so voluntarily. Are you going back? If you do, you won't be able to continue wood carving with your master."

"Hey, who are you calling a master!" Old Master Ma quickly interjected.

"Really?" Zhou Li was somewhat incredulous. He encountered such rumors two or three times a week on average, usually posted by the class clowns in the group to stir things up. He had developed a good habit of not believing rumors.

Brother Nan simply tilted her head with a questioning look.

"Oh, then I'll most likely be going back," Zhou Li said.

"If you go back, I'll go back too. I've been bored at home anyway," Brother Nan said, then paused before musing, "But I suspect the school is only opening in this last month because they don't want to refund our dormitory fees."

"Then you must play a game with me before you leave," Old Master Ma said.

"No problem!"

Brother Nan walked away carrying Tuanzi.

Big Orange followed beside her, still glaring fiercely at Tuanzi, looking even more annoyed than before.

Zhou Li hurriedly took out his phone to check. Indeed, there was such a notice, and it was sent by Zhou Qianqian. Checking for typos, he ruled out the possibility of her account being hacked.

Zhou Li stopped looking at the official accounts and forums. He put his phone away, still feeling bewildered. It wasn't anything specific, just that the holiday had been too surreal—too long to feel real, and the events that transpired too uncanny to believe.

Who would have thought that when Brother Nan and I go back to school, we'd already be in a relationship? Well, everyone probably guessed it...

Zhou Li continued his carving while speaking to Old Master Ma across from him, "My uncle lives in Chunming. My mom returned to the country just before the epidemic outbreak overseas to avoid the crisis. The situation abroad has been worsening, so she hasn't gone back. She even asked me recently when school would start. She plans to go to Chunming too, so we could have a meal together again."

Old Master Ma nodded.

The two chatted idly, their hands never ceasing their work.

Suddenly, Zhou Li's phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number.

After answering the call and exchanging a few brief words, he hung up and said to Old Master Ma, "It's about my dad's company. They need me to run an errand for him, so I have to go."

"Sure thing."

Zhou Li finished the portion he was working on, to prevent losing his train of thought for next time, before getting up to leave. A new business opportunity had come up.

Although this client wasn't directly referred by Mr. Jiang, it's still an indirect referral. I really owe Mr. Jiang for this. Judging from the phone conversation, this job is likely another minor matter unrelated to Demons. Actually, I'm not very keen on taking it.

Because this client lived in Yan City and was a real estate developer, just like Brother Nan's second uncle, he was worried about causing a mishap in their not-so-large circle.

But on second thought, a boss this prominent should have no problem with basic confidentiality.

「Before noon.」

Zhou Li arrived at the client's residence with Huai Xu.

Mr. Xiong described his and his wife's condition. Both were suffering from insomnia and nightmares and had tried many methods to little effect. Initially, sleeping pills worked, but their effectiveness diminished over time. As a result, they both felt dazed and were growing more haggard by the day.

Zhou Li nodded. Without waiting for Huai Xu's reminder, he sensed a faint Spiritual Power Wave in their home.

Turning his head, he saw Huai Xu leaning close to the coffee table, examining the documents on it.

"Zhou Li, look—"

"This person is actually involved with the redevelopment of your neighborhood!"

"Why are you looking at me?" Huai Xu said. "It's so obvious; even you should be able to tell by now that a 'little thing' has been involved. Either this person did something to offend someone, or it's the work of a business competitor." He paused before adding, "Dealing with the Demon side is easy, but I wonder if your human Heavenly Master's Institution will even be established within ten years. If a human is involved, you won't be able to deal with them."

Huai Xu has a point. Zhou Li nodded and then turned to Mr. Xiong. "Have you offended anyone lately? Or had any competition?"

"There's too much competition..."

"That's true."

"Is someone trying to sabotage me?"

"Uncertain," Zhou Li said. "You might have inadvertently provoked other entities."

"What other entities?"

The couple suddenly felt a chill down their spines.

Zhou Li reassured them, "Don't worry too much. It seems the other party isn't strong, and the issue can be resolved quite easily."

He paused, then added, "However, we can only handle the supernatural part, at best. If a human is truly involved, the most we can do is tell you who it is. As for anything else... I'm sorry."

"...We can also offer money."

"That's beyond the scope of our services; we don't do those kinds of deals, Mr. Xiong," Zhou Li shrugged. "I'm still young. Also, once the service is completed, it would be best if you acted as if we've never met. I also live in Yan City, and Yan City is very small. In case we accidentally run into each other, just pretend we don't know one another, please."

"Understood."

"Long live understanding."

Zhou Li started contacting the Local Government. Although Huai Xu was the expert at tracking people, it was a matter of protocol; respect had to be shown where it was due. Additionally, since Hong Ran's reforms to the Demon Kingdom's various mechanisms, the efficiency of the Local Government had improved significantly.

While waiting, Zhou Li began to disperse the residual Spiritual Power in the home, a process that proceeded smoothly. Afterward, he casually chatted with Mr. Xiong.

They talked about their neighborhood's redevelopment, and Mr. Xiong, with his keen perception, guessed that Zhou Li might live nearby.

Zhou Li didn't hide it, admitting that he did live there. However, redevelopment wasn't a simple matter. It wasn't just his neighborhood; many of the old houses near Yan City Middle School had been torn down in recent years. His own neighborhood was last in line.

He'd heard that the new campus for Yan City Middle School had already been built. He wondered if the old campus would be demolished after the move.

Anyway, he was powerless to stop this redevelopment. Besides, many people in the neighborhood were looking forward to the compensation money.

Zhou Li then remembered what Xiao Yuan had shared during their casual conversation the previous night. They had lived in the neighborhood for many years and had grown deeply attached to it, especially the tree with the hollow where they lived. So he made a request, "If this issue gets resolved, I'd like to ask you for a favor, Mr. Xiong. I'm very fond of an old tree in our neighborhood, and I hope you can help me preserve it. As compensation, I can gift you an item with special abilities, which you'll find very useful."

Mr. Xiong was feeling uneasy at that moment.

He was going to demolish Zhou Li's house, which made him feel awkward and fearful. He even suspected that Zhou Li might be hinting for him to offer a higher compensation for their family when the time came... He had even started to calculate the amount.

Upon hearing the rest of Zhou Li's request, he breathed a huge sigh of relief.